Concert by ensemble21 featuring several creations for clarinettist Benjamin Maneyrol.

Ensemble 21, conducted by Marc Collet: 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion, horn, flute.

3 new chamber concertos by Sarah Wéry, Claude Ledoux and Denis Bosse, and a new work for ensemble by Jacqueline Fontyn.

As active member of Ensemble21, directed by Marc Collet, clarinettist Benjamin Maneyrol has been working for several years to stimulate creation for his instrument, with the aim of building up a Belgian repertoire for the 21st century.

His desire to direct creative activity towards the clarinet inspired this new project of chamber concertos with Ensemble21 (8 musicians: 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, horn, percussion). It's also an opportunity for him to share new ways of playing that he's experimented with over the years.

The shimmering tones of Claude Ledoux, the poetic experiments of Denis Bosse and the extraordinary sound installations of Sarah Wéry will guide the audience through this exploration of the instrument, with an interlude piece for ensemble from the imagination of composer Jacqueline Fontyn.

This eclectic evening will take listeners on a voyage of discovery of Belgian creations for the clarinet in all its guises.

And the breath became sound!

Michèle Noiret is the third grande dame of Belgian contemporary dance alongside Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Michèle Anne De Mey. Like them, she studied at Mudra, Maurice Béjart's dance school, in the late 1970s. In recent years, we have repeatedly shown De Mey's work at CCHA: Neige (2011), Kiss & cry (2018) and Cold blood (2018). Now, with the phenomenal Le chant des ruines, it is also Noiret's turn.

A true pioneer, Noiret introduced interactive sound and image technology into her work in the 1990s, questioning our perception of time and space. Since then, her oeuvre has often been referred to as dance-cinema, a description that certainly applies to this choreography for five dancers and one cameraman.
 
In Le chant des ruines, Noiret reflects on our fleeting way of life and - increasingly rapid - flow of change. The choreographer responds to the disturbing chaos that dizzies the world in a performance that, enriched with sound, video and surprising twists, expresses the transience of humanity, without taking away all hope.